HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — Ypao Point is ranked as the second best option for the construction of a medical complex, and more specifically, a new hospital. And during a hearing on Thursday, the viability of the site was affirmed as the “practical choice” for construction, according to the office of Speaker Therese Terlaje.
The legislative Committee on Health, Land, Justice and Culture brought together several members of the community – representatives from the US Army Corps of Engineers, Guam Homeland Security/Office of Civil Defense, the Guam Memorial Hospital Authority, the Chamorro Land Trust Commission, Guam Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Land Management and local doctors to name a few – to speak on the status of Ypao Point and to discuss whether the site is viable for a new hospital.
The discussion began with a status update on the cleanup of the site and related impediments. It then veered into the Guam Medical Campus Master Plan of 2022 assessment conducted by Matrix Design Group, which identified Ypao Point as the second best option for the construction of a medical complex and new hospital.
The $6 million dollar assessment commissioned by the government of Guam laid out three options: Ypao Point, Adacao and Eagles Field.
While Ypao Point is the choice of several local doctors who operate private clinics and also work at the current hospital, Adacao is the pick of the governor and the Guam Memorial Hospital administration.
“While there is a push by the administration for a 100-acre medical complex in Adacao, the practicality and cost-effectiveness of such an extensive project were called into question. The available land at Ypao Point ranges from 25 to 35 acres of usable land, which used to house 230 beds at the old GMH and had development companies proposing to build 300-500 apartment and/or condominium units in addition to a convention center or business park. Even under Matrix’s plan, the proposed hospital would require 930,000 square feet for a 300-bed capacity facility, which is equal to just 21 acres if it was on a single story,” Terlaje’s office stated in a release following the hearing.
Although the governor’s administration was initially looking at a little more than 100 acres to house the complex, Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero recently submitted a bill that dropped the footprint down to about 60 acres.
Ahead of Thursday’s hearing, the governor’s spokeswoman, Krystal Paco-San Agustin, told the Guam Daily Post that Ypao Point has its weaknesses according to the same Matrix assessment.
“Weaknesses include inadequate space to accommodate the replacement facility and ancillary services as required through the MAP investigations, costly development constraints, and already-congested traffic in the area that would inevitably grow worse and threaten emergency vehicle access,” Paco-San Agustin said.
The Matrix assessment showed Ypao Point as the best option in terms of drive time analysis or the time it takes to reach the hospital. It showed that an estimated 35,686 people could reach Ypao Point in 0-10 minutes, whereas 13,731 people could reach the Adacao location in 0-10 minutes.
“Over 90% of medical staff are located within 10 minutes of Ypao Point, which is crucial for emergency response times. The existing infrastructure and strategic location make Ypao Point the practical choice,” the speaker’s office stated.
Adelup contends that a determination was made that “the redevelopment coordination of the Ypao Point site would be difficult and pose a significant disruption to the provision of medical services to the public.”
GMHA Assistant Administrator of Operations William Kando testified against Ypao Point, noting concerns with developing the area, to include the need for a geological assessment as the site sits on a cliff and fault line.
Paco-San Agustin said, “given that some of these development constraints include the presence of structures with asbestos and led paint, as well as it’s use as a staging area for green waste, it would take too long to prepare this site.”
“This is time we clearly cannot afford,” she added.
During the hearing, however, the USACE told lawmakers that they anticipate having Typhoon Mawar eligible debris cleared out of the site by Nov. 16 or at the latest Dec. 1. Once that is done, only 1,500 cubic feet of ineligible debris would remain for the GovGuam to dispose.
Terlaje’s office stated in its release that challenges and concerns are to be expected with a project of such magnitude as building a new hospital, but added that the “practical solution” presented by Ypao Point “should not be underestimated.”
An Ypao Point map shows the lot of the proposed new hospital site, during an oversight hearing at the Guam Congress Building in Hagåtña on Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023.
Speaker Therese Terlaje presides over an oversight hearing on the status of the Ypao Point cleanup and the land’s use as potential new hospital site, at the Guam Congress Building in Hagåtña on Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023.
